Botany and Ormiston Times : Howick and Botany Times Wednesday January 15

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www.times.co.nz
Howick and Botany Times, Wednesday, January 15, 2014 --- 3
124350
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By Chris Harrowell
WAKING up once a week at 4am
to catch a one-hour fight to work
isn’t nearly enough to give Jami-
Lee Ross second thoughts about
life as a Member of Parliament.
The Botany MP has been rese-
lected unopposed by the National
Party to contest the seat in the gen-
eral election later this year.
When Parliament is sitting, the
28-year-old is out of bed at 4am
each Tuesday to catch a 6am fight
from Auckland to Wellington. He’s
in his Wellington offce at 7.30am.
Prime Minister John Key is yet
to announce the election date, but
it’s due to be held in November.
Mr Ross became an MP in March
2011, by winning the Botany by-
election following the resignation
of former National Government
Cabinet Minister, Pansy Wong.
Mr Ross, a former Auckland and
Manukau City councillor, won the
by-election with 8352 votes.
Labour Party candidate Michael
Wood fnished second with 4380
votes.
Eight months later, Mr Ross
again stood successfully for
National in Botany at the 2011 gen-
eral election.
He received 17,780 of the 28,839
electorate candidate votes cast.
Labour Party candidate Chao-Fu
Wu fnished second, with 7039
votes.
Mr Ross sits on Parliament’s
fnance and expenditure com-
mittee and was announced as the
National Government’s third whip
last January.
The father-of-one says he’s
grateful for the regular feedback
he receives from the people of East
Auckland.
He intends to continue engaging
with his Botany constituents and
work hard to win re-election.
“I’m now in my 10th year in poli-
tics in my local area and I always
appreciate the support I receive,”
Mr Ross told the Times.
“I want to be a good local repre-
sentative who gets out and talks to
people on a regular basis and takes
their views back to Parliament.”
Among the ways Mr Ross stays
in touch with the community is
through his Botany Road elector-
ate offce.
He sends out a fortnightly email
newsletter, conducts an annual
household survey on various
issues, and regularly attends large
community events.
“I don’t want to be an MP who
sits in the offce and waits for peo-
ple to come to me,” he says.
Mr Ross is married to How-
ick Local Board member Lucy
Schwaner. Their son Henry
Schwaner Ross is 18 months old.
“I want to publicly thank Lucy
for all the support she’s given me,”
says Mr Ross.
“I wouldn’t be able to do this
job as well as I have if she wasn’t
standing beside me.
“Being an MP is a bigger job than
a person would expect.
“It’s very demanding and is built
on relationships.”
Among the issues he believes
will be on the minds of voters at
this year’s general election are the
economy, housing and transport.
“New Zealand’s economy has
been through a diffcult period and
is still recovering,” he says.
“We’re starting to see the results
of this Government’s hard work
and fscal belt-tightening.
“We now have one of the high-
est rates of economic growth in the
developed world.”
Mr Ross says he would like to be
a Cabinet Minister one day. In the
meantime, he intends to focus on
his present job.
“I believe I’m a good advocate
for Botany and will continue to
work hard for the electorate.”
To enrol to vote in this year’s
general election, phone 0800-367-
656, or visit www.elections.org.nz.
Sights are set on re-election
MP Jami-Lee Ross, with son Henry and wife Lucy Schwaner at the Howick Santa Parade in late November. Mr Ross has
been reselected as the National Party's Botany electorate candidate for this year's general election. Times photo Wayne Martin
IMMIGRATION
Rough start
to family's
Kiwi holiday
F
➤ rompage1
Ms Purdom says Mr Mosa's wife was not
prevented from going to the toilet.
"When Ms Aziz asked the INZ sta
member if she could go to the toilet,
she was directed to a Customs o cer to
request permission," she says.
"This is because the interaction
took place at a desk inside a Customs-
controlled area and Ms Aziz would need
to leave the area to go to the toilet.
"Ms Aziz did not indicate at the time
that her request had been declined."
Ms Purdom also disputes Mr Mosa's
claims he was spoken to for about two
hours and was stopped from phoning his
daughter.
"Mr Mosa attempted to call his daughter
three times on his mobile phone, but the
calls would not go through," she says.
"He indicated at the time that this may
have been because he did not have a New
Zealand sim card in the phone.
"The INZ sta member speaking to
Mr Mosa o ered to contact Mr Mosa's
daughter to let her know where her
parents were and that they would be
in the arrival hall shortly. That o er was
accepted.
"During the phone call, the INZ o cer
asked Mr Mosa's daughter to con rm her
residential address, because it had not
been entered on Mr Mosa's and Ms Aziz's
arrival cards."
Mr Mosa says he accepts INZ has the
right to con rm travellers' identities, but
says the length of time he was spoken to
can't be justi ed.
"We arrived in Auckland at about 2pm,
but didn't nish the INZ identi cation and
Customs clearance until 5.10pm," he says.
"That amount of time is almost equal
to what it takes to y from Sydney to
Auckland."